Hinged roof structure



Dec. 23, 1969 c. M. BALLARD HINGED ROOF STRUCTURE Filed May 8, 1967 fi\ U FIGJ FIG.3

A W F INVENTOR CHARLES M- BALLARD BY W,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,485,346 HINGE!) ROOF STRUCTURE Charles M. Ballard, 200 Richey St, Lock Haven, Pa. 17745 Filed May 8, 1967, Ser. No. 636,908 Int. Cl. B65d 85/00; E04b 7/16, 67/08 US. Cl. 20646 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to building structures which are adapted to be factory built and transported to the site of the permanent location, and refers more particularly to a roof construction, the roof rafters are pivoted for vertical swinging movement on axes located mid-way of their length, the roof rafters may be secured in an inclined position at the desired final pitch of the roof, or they may be secured in a horizontal position for transportation by truck or other vehicle to the permanent home site, the horizontal position of the rafters, the over-all height of the structure is reduced.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Homes and other building structures may be substantially completely factory built and then put on a permanent foundation at the ultimate site. The industry desires to build of this type, homes with a roof pitch as steep as is standard for homes constructed by conventional methods on the site, but this presents transportation problems because the peak of the roof must be low enough to pass under bridges and the like when the structure is transported by truck. Heretofore the problem has been unsatisfactorily dealt with by simply lowering the pitch of the roof. However, this detracts from the appearance of the house and marks it as being factory built.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an essential object of the invention to provide a factory built home in which the roof has a standard pitch but may be lowered temporarily during transportation to the ultimate building site.

Another object of the invention is to provide a building structure in which the roof rafters are pivoted intermedi ate their ends so that they may assume an inclined position at the final desired pitch, or a horizontal position below the final desired pitch for transportation purposes.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a home of the factory built type, shown erected on a permanent site.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view with parts in section, showing the roof for one-half a home in position for transit.

FIGURE 3 is similar to FIGURE 2 but shows the roof section in the final desired position of use. The phantom lines illustrate the other half of the home.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view with parts in section, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIG- URE 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the factory built home or dwelling structure is shown in its entirety in FIGURE 1 and is generally designated 10. The home in FIGURE 1 may be considered to have been factory built and delivered in two half sections by truck to the permanent site of erection. The front portion of the house illustrated in FIGURE 1, that is, the portion forward of the vertical line 12, is normally transported to the site separately from the remaining rear portion of the "ice dwelling structure, which later is itself separately transported to the site. The two complementary half home sections are then completely united and assembled into the condition shown in FIGURE 1 at the time of erection on the building site. The purpose of shipping the home in two halves is for convenience and also to comply with state highway regulations restricting the overall width of a vehicle and its load. The average width of one-half a home, that is the dimension measured from the front wall of the building in FIGURE 1 to the vertical line 12, may be on the order of 12 feet, although this can vary within the scope of the invention.

The fragmentary showing in FIGURE 2 is of a portion of one-half only of the home. In other words, the portion shown in FIGURE 2 may be either the front half of the home in FIGURE 1 or it may be the rear half. It will be understood therefore that the roof construction described with respect to the half of dwelling shown in FIGURE 2 will be substantially the same for the complementary half of the structure.

The showing in FIGURES 2 and 3 is a transverse section of either the front half or the rear half of the home shown in FIGURE 1. The structure shownhas a vertical support wall 14 which is an outside wall of the dwelling. An additional vertical support wall 16 is provided which will be disposed along the center line of the ultimate dwelling structure. The horizontal ceiling joists are designated 18.

The roof section 20 is hinged for vertical swinging movement at a point indicated at 22 which is mid-way between the upper and lower edges of the roof section 20. The roof section 20 is a complete roof section for the half of the dwelling structure fragmentarily shown in FIG- URE 2. In other words, the roof section 20 completely covers one half of the dwelling structure. The roof section may be completely factory built and will be seen to comprise the rafters 24 and the sheathing or shingles 26. The rafters are parallel members spaced conveniently from one another, and extending between the rafters are the transverse roofing members 28. The upper edge of the roof section is notched as indicated at 30. Actually these notches are provided in the rafters 24. Extending vertically upwardly from the joists 18 are the fixedly mounted support members 31 having aligned horizontal pins at their upper ends extending through each of the rafters 24 permitting the rafters to swing vertically about the aligned axes 22 provided by the pins which axes are mid-way between the ends of the rafters. Suitable bracing members 33 are provided to permanently secure the support members 31 in fixed position with respect to the joists 18.

The roof section 20 is shown in FIGURE 2 in its horizontal position for transit in which it is supported in a position beneath the position it would normally assume when the structure is fully erected. The roof section 20 is supported in this position for transit 'by the vertical brace members or blocking 32. These brace members 32 may be secured in position by any suitable means such as by nails or bolts to connect them at the top to the rafters 24 and at the bottom to the ceiling joists 18.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the roof section 20 elevated to the desired pitch which will be the pitch of the roof in the final condition of the home. The other half of the building structure completing the home unit is partly shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 3. The upper edge portion of the roof section 20 is supported in its final desired position of use, or at the desired pitch, by the ridge wall 40. The lower edge portion of the rof section is secured to the ceiling joists 18 by bolts 39.

Ridge wall 40 may be composed of horizontal upper and lower members 42 which extend along the length of the roof section 20. These upper and lower members 42 are connected at spaced intervals by the vertical members 44 to complete the ridge wall. The ridge Wall is in its upright position of use shown in FIGURE 3, and it will be noted that in FIGURE 3 a second ridge wall is provided for the complementary half of the dwelling. Of course the notch 30 accommodates the upper edge of the ridge wall and rests thereon.

In the position of the parts for transit shown in FIG- URE 2, the ridge wall 40 may simply lay over on the ceiling joists 18 and any suitable means may be provided to hold it in place. The ridge wall 40 may be hinged to the joists so that it can swing from the FIGURE 2 position shown in dotted lines to the FIGURE 3 position. Although FIGURE 2 shows the ridge wall 40 laying on the joists for transit, obviously the ridge wall could be carried in some other manner to the building site. In any event, when erected, the upper edge of the ridge wall 40 is preferably nailed or bolted to the rafters.

During the time the half section of the home unit is being transported to the ultimate site of erection, the roof section 20 will be supported in the FIGURE 2 position by the temporary blocking or brace members 32. Then, at the building site, the blocking 32 will be removed, the half section of the home will be united with a complementary half section, and the roof sections of both parts of the house will be elevated and supported in permanent condition by the ridge walls 40 which can be nailed or bolted in place. In its final condition, the roof pitch is comparable to the standard roof pitch of any home constructed by conventional methods, although during transit the roof is supported at a lower horizontal position so that it will clear any bridges or over-passes encountered during the transportation of the home section to the ultimate building site.

It should be understood that suitable weather-proofing may be utilized to prevent damage to the interior of the structure during transit. Actually, the blocking or brace members 32 may be continuous imperforate members which themselves will exclude weather from entering the structure above the joists 18.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A transportable packaged structural assembly comprising first and second structural frame members spaced parallel relation to one another, a fulcrum member secured to said first member, means pivotally connecting said second member to said fulcurn member intermediate the ends of said second member, removable brace members extending between said first and second members adjacent the ends thereof to support said first and second members in parallel relation, and a support member pivoted to said first member adjacent one end of the latter and extending along said first member, whereby said brace members may be removed and said support member may be pivoted toward said second member so that its swinging end supports one end portion of said second member in a position such that said second member is inclined relative to said first member and the other end portion of said second member may be secured to said first member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,404,496 10/1968 Ballard 52-641 X 2,732,936 1/ 1956 Lankford 20646 2,602,968 7/1952 Simon 52-64 X 2,604,060 7/ 1952 Hansen 52-745 X 2,642,825 6/ 1953 McElhone et al. 52641 2,762,084 9/1956 Singer 5264 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,385,350 11/1964 France.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner S. D. BURKE, III, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5266, 92, 641, 645 

